Vanilla Blueberry Muffins

These unbelievable muffins are  loaded with juicy, sweet, plump blueberries in a light and fluffy muffin with yummy vanilla in every bite. And with a sprinkling of sparkling sugar on top, you get a bite of a little sweet crunch on top. 

They are great for breakfast-on-the-go or even as a snack when you want something sweet. I never worked with vanilla bean paste until I saw this recipe, and wow it is amazing, you can use vanilla to replace the bean paste, but what sets these muffins to an entire new level is the vanilla bean paste, you can find at Amazon or William-Sonoma 

Note: Natural vanilla bean paste is an alternative to whole vanilla beans. This rich concentrated paste can be used in place of an extract. Use it to flavor cakes, puddings, cookies, custards, whipped cream, and ice cream or anywhere the flavor and appearance of vanilla bean is desired.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 2 tablespoons sparkling sugar or white diamond crystals sugar 

Directions:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-14 cup standard muffin tins with paper liners or coat with nonstick spray then set aside.
• 2. In a large bowl, combine and whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
• 3. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sugar, butter and egg. Stir in vanilla bean paste. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist. Add blueberries and gently toss to combine.
• 4. Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin tray almost to the top, then sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Place into oven and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
• 5. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

recipe slightly adapted from:http://damndelicious.net/2014/02/17/blueberry-vanilla-muffins/